What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s final published work of fiction during his lifetime?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s final published work of fiction during his lifetime was Smith of Wootton Major. Allen & Unwin published the short story as a book in 1967.

The story follows a village smith whose son receives a magical star from a Great Cake. The star allows the smith to enter Faërie, the enchanted realm at the heart of the tale, where he encounters wonders and dangers.

Tolkien originally developed the work while thinking about a possible preface to a new edition of George MacDonald’s The Golden Key. It grew into an independent story instead. Tolkien revised it extensively, and its compact form contrasts with the immense scale of his Middle-earth mythology.

The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales were published after Tolkien’s death and edited or assembled by Christopher Tolkien. The Children of Húrin appeared in 2007, so none of those works was his final lifetime publication of fiction.